1852·Philadelphia

Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea. Very Good. 1852. Third Edition. Leather Bound. 751, 32 (ads) pages; Contents complete and secure in original binding of full sheep with black leather label at spine w/ gilt lettering. Leather rubbed & scraped, small chip to spine label, tide marks to first few leaves, scattered toning/offsetting from laid-in newsclips. OCLC: 8026054 Former owner's signature in ink on ffep - "Dr. R. L. Barret / Louisa Office / VA" also in pencil "R. Leighton Barret / Jefferson Medical College / 1853 Philadelphia" Dr. Robert Leighton Barret (1834, Louisa, VA - 1908, Louisa, VA) graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1854. He then returned to his home in Louisa, VA where he practiced medicine for more than 50 years. Doctor Barret was one of the first members of the Medical Society of Virginia, and he wrote various essays and reports on medical matters. One of the important results of his medical investigations was the discovery that, in its initial stage, typhoid fever can be aborted by vaccination. During the Civil War, Barret enlisted as a private in the Louisa Blues and served as an assistant surgeon in the 13th Virginia Confederate Regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia. After fighting at First Manassas and in Jackson's Valley Campaign, the 13th Virginia served in General Early's, W. Smith's, Pegram's, and J.A. Walker's Brigade. They were prominent in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then moved with Early to the Shenandoah Valley and later were involved in the Appomattox operations.; Dr. Robert Leighton Barret was born and died in in Louisa, Virginia [1834-1908]. He studied medicine first at the University of Virginia and then at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, from which institution he graduated with a degree of M.D. in 1854. Barret was 27 years old at the outbreak of the War Between the States. He served in the Confederacy, both as a soldier, and then as a surgeon. At the beginning of the conflict he enlisted as a Private in a local outfit which would win reknown throughout the South. Officially, Dr. Barret enlisted in "Company D" of the 13th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, but his unit would always be best known as the "Louisa Blues." After fighting at First Manassas and in Jackson's Valley Campaign, the Louisa Blues and the 13th Virginia served in General Early's, W. Smith's, Pegram's, and J.A. Walker's Brigade. They were prominent in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then moved with Early to the Shenandoah Valley and later were involved in the Appomattox operations, and at some point during his service, Dr. Barret was made an Assistant-Surgeon in the 13th Virginia, CSA. It is interesting to note that Barret practiced medicine for the first two years after he earned his degree of M.D. in Trevilian Station, about six miles west from the center of the town of Louisa. The name will naturally sound familiar, as many historians consider the Battle of Trevilian Station to have been the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War. This battle occured on June 11th and 12, 1864, and took place when Sheridan attempted a raid on the Virginia Central Railroad in an attempt to break General Lee's vital supply line from the Valley. Some 13,000 cavalrymen were involved in the battle, of whom 1,619 from both sides were either killed or injured. Field hospitals for the vast numbers of wounded men were set up at the Trevilians Depot and at Netherland Tavern. Confederate victory at Trevilian prevented Sheridan from reaching Charlottesville and cooperating with Hunters army in the Valley. But this victory was won at a terrible cost, as Trevilian was certainly one of the bloodiest cavalry battles of the war, as well as being one of the largest. Robert Barret, having seen some of the worst fighting of his century, would probably rather be remembered as an early pioneer in the discovery that typhoid fever might be arrested by early vaccination. Had this been known during the war, tens of thousands of lives might have been spared, as it is thought that typhoid killed around 30,000 Confederate and 35,000 Union troops, and made three times that number seriously ill. . (Inventory #: 40009)

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